CFPB Report Highlights Private Student Loan Payment Processing Pitfalls

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CFPB Issues Advisory to Help Consumers Provide Instructions to Servicers on Payments

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Student Loan Ombudsman released a report analyzing complaints the CFPB has received from private student loan borrowers. According to the report, private student loan borrowers face payment processing pitfalls that can lead to increased costs, prolonged repayments, and harm to their credit profiles. The CFPB is also issuing a consumer advisory today to help certain borrowers communicate their payment preferences to servicers, so they can take better control of their student loans.

“Repaying a student loan should be simple,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “When servicers process payments to maximize fees and penalties, they undermine the trust of their customers. Student loan borrowers deserve better; they deserve transparency and accountability.”

“With limited options to refinance, many borrowers want to pay off loans where they are stuck in high rates,” said CFPB Student Loan Ombudsman Rohit Chopra. “But too many borrowers have to run through an obstacle course to get their payments processed properly.”

The CFPB Student Loan Ombudsman’s Annual Report is available at: https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201310_cfpb_student-loan-ombudsman-annual-report.pdf

In recent years, many consumers have borrowed significantly to pay for postsecondary education. Before the financial crisis, the private student loan market boomed. Today, while the private student loan market has declined after the bust, many borrowers are still struggling to pay back their loans. According to a recent CFPB analysis, for borrowers graduating at the time of the financial crisis with more than $40,000 in student debt, 81 percent used private loans. Unlike federal student loans, these private student loans generally have higher and variable interest rates and may not allow borrowers to easily manage their payments in times of hardship.

Today’s report analyzes more than 3,800 private student loan complaints, comments, and other input from borrowers between October 1, 2012 and September 30, 2013. The most common complaints submitted to the CFPB were about payment processing pitfalls when consumers try to take control of their loans, including when borrowers attempt to pay off their loans early or pay them off in a certain sequence. The report highlights:

  • Prepayment Stumbling Blocks: Since options to refinance high-rate private student loans are limited, many consumers attempt to pay off their loans in order to reduce the amount of interest owed over the life of the loan. But many consumers express confusion about how to pay off their loans early. For example, borrowers complained that payments in excess of the amount due are applied across all their loans, not the highest-interest rate loan that they would prefer to pay off first.

  • Partial Payment Snags: When borrowers have multiple loans with one servicer and are unable to pay their bill in full, many servicers instruct borrowers to make whatever payment they can afford. Many complaints described how servicers often divide up the partial payment and apply it evenly across all of the loans in their account. This maximizes the late fees charged to the consumer and it can exacerbate the negative credit impact of a single late payment.

  • Servicing Transfer Surprises: When borrowers’ loans are transferred between servicers, borrowers say they experience lost paperwork, processing errors that result in late fees, and interruptions of routine communication, such as billing statements. Consumers complained that payment-processing policies can vary depending on the servicer. And, consumers said when they make decisions on the previous servicer’s practices, they can get penalized.

Consumer Advisory

Today, the CFPB is also issuing a consumer advisory to help borrowers instruct servicers on how to process their payments. If a borrower has several loans with the same loan servicer and they do not provide instructions on how to process the money sent in each month, the servicer generally decides how to allocate the payments. Leaving this decision up to the servicer is not always in the consumer’s best interest. Today’s advisory includes sample instructions to a servicer telling them to always direct any extra payments toward the highest-rate loan, saving consumers the most money.

The consumer advisory is available at: https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201310_cfpb_consumer_advisory_student_loan_repayment.pdf

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act established an ombudsman for student loans within the CFPB to assist borrowers with private student loan complaints. Today’s report, which was mandated by Congress, is the second issued by the ombudsman and was submitted to the Director of the CFPB, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Education, and Congress.

Earlier this year, the CFPB announced that outstanding student debt totals nearly $1.2 trillion. The Bureau also estimates that 7 million student loan borrowers are now in default on their debt. In May, the CFPB published a report on Student Loan Affordability that discussed the potential impacts of high student debt burdens on consumers when it comes to homeownership, retirement security, entrepreneurship, and career choice.

Today’s report also follows from CFPB efforts on a number of fronts to help make the student loan market work better for consumers. Student loan borrowers can use Repay Student Debt, an interactive web tool designed to help consumers navigate their repayment options or they can use Ask CFPB to find answers to common questions. Borrowers that run into trouble when repaying student loans can file a complaint with the CFPB.

The Bureau currently has the authority to supervise student loan servicing practices at large depository institutions. In March, the CFPB proposed a rule to define nonbank larger participants in the student loan servicing marketplace that would extend the Bureau’s supervisory authority to certain nonbank student loan servicers.

More information is at: consumerfinance.gov/students

Official news published at https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-report-highlights-private-student-loan-payment-processing-pitfalls/

Images courtesy of PixaBay

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Hanna Interpreting Services Awarded Comparably’s Best Company for Work-Life Balance

Hanna Interpreting Services, a premier language services provider, is proud to announce its recognition by Comparably as one of the best companies for work-life balance. This honor is a testament to the company’s unwavering commitment to employee well-being and its innovative approach to fostering a harmonious work environment.

Comparably’s accolade assesses factors such as employee satisfaction with work-life balance, average hours worked per day, lunch break lengths, and overall feelings of burnout. Hanna Interpreting Services' dedication to creating an environment that melds productivity with personal time has made it stand out in this evaluation.

A significant contributor to this balance is the company's hybrid working model, where employees merge the best of both worlds by working remotely for three weeks and in the office for one week every month. This flexibility allows team members to maintain their personal lives while still fostering in-person collaboration. Hanna also ranked among the top 35% of companies for diversity and in the top 40% for gender balance.

"It's a balance we've been striving to achieve, especially in these dynamic times," says President Tom Elias Hanna. "We understand the challenges presented by both remote work and the need to be in-office."

September is a monumental month for Hanna Interpreting Services. In addition to the Comparably award, the company celebrated its 13th anniversary on September 9, marking over a decade of industry leadership and commitment to bridging linguistic barriers. The month also saw the inauguration of a brand-new office space, showcasing the company’s dedication to growth and serving as a hub for innovation and team collaboration.

As Hanna Interpreting Services continues to evolve and set benchmarks in the industry, the core values remain consistent: a commitment to bridging language barriers, a dedication to employee well-being, and a vision to be the most trusted name in language services.

Founded in 2010 by mother and son duo Jennifer Hanna and Tom Elias Hanna in their garage, Hanna has grown to more than 70 employees, served 1.1 million clients to date in 250+ languages, and has sponsored countless outreach events to serve the local community.

For more information about Hanna Interpreting Services or to schedule an interview, please contact Sean Spicer, Revenue Operations Manager, at Sean.Spicer@HannaIS.com
 

Contact Information:
Sean Spicer
RevOps Manager
sean.spicer@hannais.com
(619) 963-2331


Original Source: Hanna Interpreting Services Awarded Comparably's Best Company for Work-Life Balance

With Nearly 2,000 Athletes, the 2023 JCC Maccabi Games & Access, North America’s Largest Jewish Teen Sports and Community Building Event, Leaves a Lasting...

With Nearly 2,000 Athletes, the 2023 JCC Maccabi Games & Access, North America’s Largest Jewish Teen Sports and Community Building Event, Leaves a Lasting Impact
Boys 16U Soccer Finals

The Fort Lauderdale Maccabi Soccer team won their gold medal match against the Philadelphia team.

The 2023 JCC Maccabi Games® & Access, hosted by the David Posnack Jewish Community Center (DPJCC) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, have concluded with resounding success and heartfelt gratitude to the community that made it all possible. This week-long celebration of sports, camaraderie, and inclusivity has left a lasting impact, thanks to the dedicated efforts of our generous supporters.

Close to 2,000 Jewish teen athletes aged 12-16, representing communities worldwide, gathered in Fort Lauderdale to experience the joy of sports and the power of inclusion. The Games, presented by the JCC Association of North America, offered an unforgettable Olympic-style experience filled with competitions, opening and closing ceremonies, community service, social and cultural events, and opportunities to create Jewish connections that will last a lifetime.

One of the highlights of this year's event was the introduction of JCC Maccabi Access, brought to you by UKG and presented by the Posnack Family Foundation. This program is designed to provide athletes aged 12-18 with intellectual and developmental disabilities an inclusive Maccabi experience. This three-day program, held in conjunction with the 2023 JCC Maccabi Games®, exemplified the event's commitment to inclusivity and diversity.

Scott Ehrlich, CEO of the David Posnack Jewish Community Center, reflected on the Games, stating, "We were overjoyed to welcome Jewish athletes from all corners of the world to Broward County for the 2023 JCC Maccabi® Games & Access. Our heartfelt appreciation goes to our JCC Maccabi Team led by our Co-Chairs, Lori and Mitch Green, Debby and Dennis Eisinger, Davia and Jim Mazur, and Missy and Dan Longman. Their unwavering commitment contributed significantly to establishing an atmosphere that nurtured camaraderie, inclusiveness, and the genuine essence of the Games."

The Games' success was significantly bolstered by the support of honorary co-chairs Scott Scherr, founder of Ultimate Software, and Scot Hunter, co-founder of Emerald Multi-Family Office. Their encouragement to business owners and the backing of corporate and community partners played a pivotal role in the event's success.

Supporting Corporate Sponsors:

  • Emerald Multi-Family Office
  • Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits
  • Official Torch Sponsor: Duty-Free America
  • Kent Security
  • Official Beverage Sponsor: Coca-Cola 
  • The Meltzer Group
  • Official Transportation: Sponsor Comcast 
  • Official Media Partner: Clear Channel Outdoor 
  • Official Produce Sponsor: ProEx International
  • Official Pun, Pass, and Kick Sponsor: Miami Dolphins
  • Official Basketball Sponsor: Miami HEAT
  • Official Baseball Sponsor: Miami Marlins
  • Official Cleaning Company Sponsor: AK Building Services
  • Official Swimming Sponsor: Blavatnik Family Foundation 
  • Northland Investments
  • Official V-VIP Dinner Sponsor: Aroma Market & Catering
  • Custom Outfitters LLC
  • FP&L
  • Greenspoon Marder
  • Manne Foundation for Homeless Prevention
  • Official Mitzvah Sponsor: Children's Services Council of Broward County

The 2023 JCC Maccabi Games® & Access were not just about competition; they were also about giving back to the community. The JCC Cares Mitzvah Projects showcased the spirit of service, assembling over 1,000 Rosh Hashanah food baskets for Goodman JFS Seniors and Holocaust Survivors, donating over 2,500 pairs of new sneakers to students, in partnership with Children's Services Council of Broward County, and repurposing 340 medals for the "We Finish Together" organization, spreading kindness to ill children and adults in hospitals.

Among the highlights:

  • Approximately 10,000 spectators attended the Opening Ceremony at FLA Live Arena.
  • 1,620 visiting athletes.
  • 21 Access participants.
  • 375 Coaches & Chaperones.
  • 850 Community Volunteers.
  • 600 Host Families.
  • 215 Local Athletes & Access participants representing Team Fort Lauderdale.
  • 64 delegations, including international representation from Israel, Ukraine, Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, Canada, Great Britain, and 53 cities throughout the USA.
  • 100 Local businesses and individuals generously supporting.
  • 110,000 bottles of Dasani water, Powerade, and soda provided by Coca-Cola.
  • 47,000 pounds of ice used.
  • 20,000 meals served.
  • 300 athletes and coaches wrapped tefillin daily.

As the Games came to a close, the resounding message was one of unity, inclusivity, and the power of community. The 2023 JCC Maccabi Games® & Access will be remembered not only for the athletic achievements but also for the lasting friendships, cultural exchanges, and shared experiences that will continue to enrich the lives of all those who participated.

For more information about the 2023 JCC Maccabi Games® & Access and how you can support future events, please visit dpjcc.org.

Contact Information:
Rixys Alfonso
Corporate Sponsorship Consultant
rixys@causemomarketing.com
305-558-8877

Scott Ehrlich
Chief Executive Officer
sehrlich@dpjcc.org
954-434-0499, ext. 313
Related Images
Boys 16U Soccer Finals
Boys 16U Soccer Finals

The Fort Lauderdale Maccabi Soccer team won their gold medal match against the Philadelphia team.

Ukrainian team with Stanley
Ukrainian team with Stanley

The Ukranian team, sponsored by the David Posnack JCC, poses with Stanley C. Panther at opening ceremonies of the JCC Maccabi Games & Access.

JCC Access Games Athlete & Coaches
JCC Access Games Athlete & Coaches

Nico poses with his coaches during a skill competition at the Maccabi Access games.



Original Source: With Nearly 2,000 Athletes, the 2023 JCC Maccabi Games & Access, North America's Largest Jewish Teen Sports and Community Building Event, Leaves a Lasting Impact
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